


mortem

by miilkteas



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Implied Rivetra, Reader-Insert, soul reaper au, very angsty forgive me, you're the grim reaper ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 17:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9395612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miilkteas/pseuds/miilkteas
Summary: even death does not stop petra ral. [ implied rivetra, levi squad centric ]





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever fanfiction on this site! please excuse any mistakes and enjoy <3

There was no shortage of souls to reap when the Survey Corps were out for a mission—it was almost certain that someone died every time. You couldn’t do anything but help the dead into the next life, and the anguished expressions had blurred together a long time ago. The 57th Expedition was different, however. You would remember those faces for a long time.

* * *

The first body hung from a tree, his equipment holding strong, the ropes pulled taut. It was obvious that he had been murdered, and rather brutally at that. The back of his neck was slit open in a single, neat line, though the blood had stopped flowing a while ago. What remained of his body simply hung there limply, while the soul sat on the branch above.

He seemed to accept the fact that he was dead, though he had trouble understanding that his death wasn’t to be fussing over; his brows were knit into a fierce scowl.

“It wasn’t your fault Gunther,” you said simply.

It took him a moment to look up, a pained look in his eyes as he muttered, “I really screwed up. Not like I can regret it now.”

You nodded in understanding, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. “No, you can’t. Best you move on. I can offer you nothing but a path to the next life.”

Gunther stood, but remained silent as you opened the Gateway with a wave of your hand. He approached it with little hesitation. As he passed through, you couldn’t help but utter, “At ease, soldier.”

He saluted one last time, and his tense face relaxed into what you thought was a small smile.

* * *

 The next soul you found was not so at peace as the last. There was anger in his eyes as he stared at his mangled body on the ground. He was bitten neatly in two, and one of his arms laid useless and severed a few feet away. 

“The Female Titan had abilities you’ve never seen before. No use beating yourself up about it.” Your words didn’t seem to comfort him, as the soul flickered angrily before rolling his eyes in disbelief.

“Tch,” he replied rather nastily, looking away. “Who the hell are you, my personal soul reaper?”

You replied without hesitation, much to the blond man’s surprise. “I suppose I do my fair share of soul reaping, but I do have to say the Survey Corps are one of my more frequent visits.”

He more or less ignored what you said. “Did the others make it?”

“I do not know,”  you admitted rather sheepishly, rubbing the side of your arm. “Gunther is dead, but I haven’t seen the others yet. I think you’ll figure it out when certain people are missing from the afterlife.”

“I’ll find out in due time,” he agreed readily. The man took another glance mutilated body, shaking his head in disgust.

You offered your hand to help him up, though he blatantly cast it aside and got up on his own. Eld Jinn was a no-nonsense man, even in death. However, you said nothing and simply opened the Gateway, which he passed through with the same scowl on his face that you had met him with.

“It gets easier.”

Eld said nothing, simply rolled his eyes and snorted in disbelief. Of course a soldier would know nothing, life or death, would get easier with time. You left knowing that he could at least live in a world that had no Titans—perhaps one of many perks of the afterlife.

* * *

 Oluo Bozado’s body was crumpled, every bone in his body utterly shattered by the Female Titan’s kick. His soul was waiting patiently as you arrived, though you could sense that he was feeling rather uneasy about this whole dying situation. You honestly had to cut him some slack—the soldier just died after all, and in a rather brutal way.

“We didn’t kill her.”

It was the first thing he said as you sat down beside him, though you pretended not to hear and hummed a happy little tune under your breath. “Lovely day to be dead, don’t you think?”

“It’s not lovely to be dead in the first place,” he grumbled, “but the weather certainly is nice. Really do wish I didn’t die in Titan land, how embarrassing.”

You find yourself agreeing with him, mostly because about his comment about the weather—you never had much in store for who died where, even if they were seasoned soldiers. “I suppose.”

“Who are you anyways?”

The question was inevitable (a soul usually asked you that the moment they figured out they were dead) and you always had the same answer for each and every one of them. You raised an eyebrow and opened the Gateway with a simple wave of your hand, gesturing Oluo towards it. “A guide.”

Most souls don’t pass through right away, and he was one of those many. It took him a minute to work up the courage to say one last thing that had been bothering him since he died. “Keep an eye out for Petra, will you?”

“I’ll make sure she gets to the afterlife.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.” 

Oluo Bozado could finally move on without any worries, and he was finally content that the woman he loved would be safe in your hands—he would no longer have to imitate their captain to get her attention.

* * *

 The last soul to be collected was not by her broken body, and you couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh before giving chase to the soul. Besides, her body was splattered with her own blood, her neck snapped—even you had to admit that you wouldn’t linger by your body if it were in such a state. But her soul did not leave her body just because it revolted her. It was common of souls to not accept their deaths. 

_Petra Ral happened to be one of them._

Even in death, her Vertical Maneuvering Equipment skills were top-notch, and all you could do was follow as she swung from tree to tree in blind desperation. Though her soul was translucent and no one could see her, you did not lose her and watched from afar as she landed by Captain Levi. He was talking to their commander, Erwin.

She did not seem to realize your presence, too distraught by her own death. In vain, she tried to get her superior’s attention, waving her hand in front of him to no avail.

“Captain, can you not see me? There’s still so much I have to tell you—why aren’t you looking at me? Okay, I’m sorry for interrupting; just turn around!” she half shouted, doing her best to get in front of her leader. He and Erwin paid her no attention, which caused her to get even more worked up.

You allowed her to shout for the next five or so minutes, mostly because you felt pity for the girl unfortunate enough to look up to her captain in such a way. Eventually, you got tired of her ceaseless chatter and said, “They can’t see or hear you. You’re dead, Petra.” 

She more or less ignored you and continued to shout at Levi. “I’m sorry I let you down, _I’m so freaking sorry_ —I never got to tell you I…”

“It’s no use,” you sighed. “You’ll meet him again in the afterlife, I assure you.”

Petra looked up, her ears tracking your voice to where you stood a few branches above her own. “But I-I… ”

“No but’s, even Humanity’s Strongest has to know where to draw the line,” you said all too bluntly. “I know there’s a lot of things you would have liked to tell Levi— _I bet there’s a lot of things you would’ve done to him given the opportunity_ —but it’s honestly too late for all that.”

“I know this is a lot to ask, but could you look after Levi for me?”

If anything, Petra sounded as pathetic as a defenseless child—far too common in souls, but you felt a rush of pity for the woman. You did not do favors for souls, though you found yourself feeling sorry for her. You had seen your fair share of ruined souls, though none like hers. Why you felt the need to aid her so, you did not know, but you nodded in reply before opening the Gateway. She immediately relaxed.

There was a lot Petra Ral would have done with her life if she had lived, but alas, Fate had other plans for her. She was not happy with the fact that she would not see her beloved Levi again but was content with her letter soon being in his hands. For a second she looked almost peaceful, but her usual look of determination was soon back on her face and she passed with a final, “Thank you.”

You sincerely hoped the afterlife treated Petra well—the poor woman had suffered enough in her lifetime. 

* * *

Levi Ackerman had seen death many times. He had killed many times too, whether it had been titans or putting others out of their misery—he’d killed innocents before too, in the far past. It meant nothing to him really, that people would die; he had long accepted that lives were ephemeral.

Really, he should’ve expected death every time the Survey Corps left the safety of the walls.

But his squad was gone; a group of humanity’s most formidable soldiers were reduced to nothing more than broken bones and smeared blood on the ground. He had seen the bodies in their mangled states, but none of that had sunk in until he had seen Petra’s. The realization of their deaths punched him in the gut, and he had to quickly leave the scene before he could begin to grieve.

You had watched humanity’s strongest for a long time, and after the events of the day, you couldn’t possibly comprehend why Petra loved a man so incredibly blunt and unpleasant. Perhaps it was the way he liked only her coffee, or the longing glances they gave each other when nobody else was looking, or maybe it was how he faced everything with bored eyes and a few swear words thrown in. 

For the rest of his life, Levi can’t help but wonder how different things might have been if he told Petra he loved her.


End file.
